'Indians should campaign against Headley's plea bargain'

Indian society should initiate a campaign against the plea bargain of terror suspect David Coleman Headley and the government seek his extradition to establish links between the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence, experts said on Wednesday.

"The Indian society and the families of the 26/11 terror attack victims should start a campaign against the plea," former additional secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, B Raman said at an anti-terrorism seminar in Mumbai. Foreign policy expert Gopalswamy Parthasarthy said irrespective of the decision of the Chicago court, which is hearing the Headley case, India should seek for his extradition. "The information that is being shared with us (India) by the United States is limited. Indian investigating agencies need to extradite Headley to establish the links between LeT and Pakistan," Parthasarthy said.

According to Raman, the LeT's terrorist activities are being taken seriously by the United States only post 26/11 attack in 2008 as it witnessed a high number of foreign victims. West Bengal Governor and former national security advisor, M K Narayanan said the LeT acted as a terrorist arm of the Pakistan government and ISI. "ISI oversees the terrorist operations of LeT, which has spread its tentacles in over 21 countries across the world," Narayanan said adding intelligence reports are yet to indicate even a minimal decline in terrorism.

"In cases of state-sponsored terrorism, the police can act only against the terrorists. It is for the government to act against another country's government that employs terror groups," Raman said.